Fashion Faux Paws
by wonderfulwizardofthozz
Summary: Adrien works in the fabric store that Marinette frequents. Meanwhile, they each have a double life on Instagram. (I'm AU trash)
1. Fabricadabra

_A/N: Today, I'm celebrating the one year anniversary of publishing my first fic! I started out with Glittery Green, and it was, of course, an AU, so what better way to celebrate than with another AU? I got the idea for this particular AU when some lady came into the fabric store that I work in and was super rude to me. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. I want to keep this one short, so hopefully I'm only gonna have like five chapters, but you never know._

 _Special thanks to Leisey and livinglittlelie for putting up with my sick brain yesterday and helping me pick the titles! I love you gorgeous ladies :) Be sure to check out their fics because they're amazing~_

 _Please let me know what you think! Love you all!_  
 _xoxo -wwot_

* * *

Marinette was comparing two fabrics when she heard a woman yelling at the counter, only catching the tail end of the rant.

"I've been a human resources representative for three decades, and you don't know _anything_ about helping customers!"

Marinette walked around the aisle in just enough time to watch the woman knock her papers to the ground, pick them up, and storm out.

The man behind the counter kept his head down and finished the cut he'd started on the fabric before the woman's explosion; Marinette determined to be extra nice to him when she made it up to the counter. She'd gotten back around the corner before she heard the door open again.

"That's absolutely absurd! You don't know anything about _anything_!"

Marinette hurried over so she could see the woman. "You need to leave. He's done listening to you." She stood up to her full 158 centimeters and glared until the lady left. "I'm so sorry about her. Some people just don't know how to act." Marinette turned back to the man, but he wasn't around anymore. She pointed to his spot and turned to the other employee, an eyebrow raised.

"He went to the back. He's the sensitive kind of guy."

Marinette frowned. "Alright. Well, I'll wait for him to check me out, if that's okay with you, Michel. I still have some shopping to do anyway. Can I leave these up here?" She held out the bolts in her arms.

"Yeah, for sure. I can get them started for you. How much?"

"Two and a half meters on each, please. Thank you." She smiled and moved the fabric out of the cutting space, wandering back to where she'd been before.

"And then she came back in the store and yelled at me more! Well, there was this other nice lady who basically told her to bug off, but still. What the hell?"

Marinette moved closer, sure that it was the man at the counter speaking to someone on the phone.

"I'm sorry. I'm calm now; I just had to get that off my chest. Yeah, yeah, love you too, dude. See you." He strode out from the curtained-off area, and Marinette got her first real look at him.

Blond, lean. Gorgeous green eyes hidden behind glasses. Impossibly tall (okay, she had a shorter vantage point, but _still_ ).

"H-hey, um, uh, I-I'm s-sorry about that lady. Sh-she was s-so rude."

He looked at her, fear written on his face for a brief moment. "Hey, no, it's okay. I haven't had that happen before is all."

Marinette nodded. _Come on, Mari, say something!_ "So, uh, have you worked here long? It's just that I'm in here a lot a-and I've never seen you." _Yes, excellent. Sentences. Words. Questions. Make him talk instead of you._

"I've been here over a year, and I've never seen you, either. When do you usually come in?"

"Tuesdays."

"That explains it. I'm off on Tuesdays." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sorry, did you need help with anything? I can take those to the counter for you." He gestured to the bolts of fabric she had in her arms and then pointed with his thumb to the cutting counter.

"Oh, sure. Um, I still need this one to match, but Michel has a ticket started for me. Two and a half, please. On each, I mean. Not, like, two and a half total meters. That would be silly. Like, how would you know how much I wanted of one and not the other. I mean, unless I told you. I guess you would know then. But yeah, it's good to meet you?" _Stop talking, Dupain-Cheng!_

He accepted the bolts she handed to him, laughing. "I'm Adrien, by the way. I'll have to have a little talk with Michel about why he's hoarding all the pretty customers." Adrien winked as he walked away.

Marinette was certain that she was dying. _Touch the fabrics. Get back in the zone. Forget his pretty eyes, the nice scruff. Oh, I'm so gonna need to go to confession for this._

She eventually made a decision—cheap satin would do for a mockup—and brought the rest up to the counter.

Michel took the first one from the stack. "The same on the rest of these?"

"Yes, please." Marinette smiled at him and started digging her wallet out of her purse.

"Adrien, come help me."

He jerked his head up from his phone and pocketed it. "Yeah, sure. Two and a half?"

"Y-yeah. On all of them. Th-thanks."

Michel raised an eyebrow, eyes focused on the fabric but attention very much elsewhere. "So, Marinette, what do you have planned for this?"

"Marinette? That's a pretty name," Adrien said.

"Th-thank you! You're...that's...sweetness!" _Kill me now._

"You're welcome. So, what are you doing with this?"

"I-I run an Etsy shop, and it's good to have lots of things to take care of—I mean! Lots of things to take pictures of!"

Michel started folding the piece he'd cut. "You should show him pictures, Marinette. Your work is beautiful."

"Beautiful girl, beautiful work. What a day to be alive." Adrien laughed, cussing softly when the scissors snagged.

Marinette momentarily forgot her phone password. "Okay, here. I was commissioned for this last month." She held the phone to Adrien so he could look at it.

"Damn. My father would love that, and he's a hard man to please. I would know."

"Come on, tell Marinette who your dad is."

"I'd really rather not."

"It's not that bad—"

"I-it's fine if you don't want to, Adrien. I'm not gonna force you to s-say anything you don't want to." Marinette smiled, handing her card over to Michel when he was finished with her next piece.

"You didn't even ask me about the price."

"You're not about to short me or overcharge me."

"Ah, but I could start!"

Adrien smacked Michel's arm on his way by. "Be nice to the lady. She's not rude like other customers we've had today."

"No, we always take care of her. It'll be just fine."

Adrien started bagging her fabric up. "So, how long have you been coming here that I totally missed you?"

"About three years regularly. Before that, sporadically. Sometimes I have to pick up extra shifts at my parents' bakery, so I go a stretch every now and again without getting fabric, but that's life, I guess!" She took the receipt from Michel and signed it, looking at the price afterward. "Okay, I _know_ you didn't charge me for something."

"Consider it a gift for my favorite customer."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "You're too sweet. I'll see you next time. A-Adrien, it really was nice to meet you!" She waved to him. "I hope your day improves!"

"It was nice to meet you, too! I hope I see you next time you're in."

"Yeah! I'll have to stop coming in on Tuesdays, I guess." She hefted the bag of fabric over her shoulder. "See you guys!"

Adrien watched Marinette walk out, his lips barely parted as she walked away with complete confidence pulling her up (and then as she tripped over her shoes; nobody's perfect, after all). He turned on Michel as soon as she was out of sight. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Marinette? Oh, I figured you'd meet her sooner or later."

"You jackass. I would have preferred to meet her sooner. And don't go telling her all about my father problems, either."

"Calling it 'father problems' doesn't make it sound less like 'daddy issues,' Adrien."

"Shut up, Michel. Just help me get her number."


	2. Shear Genius

Alya updated her blog and switched over to browse Instagram while Marinette sewed. "So, you met this guy today even though you've been going there for years? And you made a total idiot of yourself. Have to say, only half of that is surprising."

"Alya, my darling, you should never forget who is closer to the scissors when you say such things." Marinette clipped a few threads and smoothed out some creases on the dress she was working on. "Will you be available to help me edit the shoot photos tomorrow?"

"I'm just goofing off at the moment. I can do it now and upload it to the Ladybug instagram page within the hour."

"That would be great. I have a persona to keep up. Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Out of the way, I need the sink." Marinette dodged Alya's chair as she ran for their shared bathroom, holding the wound tightly.

Alya called over her shoulder, "Needle or scissors this time?" Marinette bleeding over her work wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

"Scissors. Nicked my finger because I couldn't see it under the fabric." She turned the water off and whined as she put a disinfectant on the cut.

"I thought that was supposed to be chiffon."

"The lady changed her mind. Apparently chiffon was too, and I quote, 'slutty.' Honestly, it kinda defeats the purpose of the dress to not have some sheer parts. Um, can you come help me with the bandage? It's in a weird spot because I am an effervescent dumbass."

Alya rolled her eyes and set her laptop aside, removing herself from her spot. "You know, I can't help you forever. I'm gonna grow up and get married and move out and you'll have to put on your own damn bandages." Alya winked at her and helped wrap it around her finger.

Marinette put on her best dramatic mother voice as they walked back to their workstations. "You mean you won't stay and help run the family business? But I'll need you in my older years!"

Alya matched the dramatic tone. "You'll just have to get on without me! You see, I dream of romance and adventure, and none of that is to be found in our simple town!" She plopped down on her chair, continuing her monologue. "You will have my help until I find a suitable suitor, be it a gentleman or a gentlewoman. Then I shall travel the world and engage in safe sex behaviors with them all around the globe!"

Marinette wheezed from laughter. "Reason number eight million and seven why I'm glad you're my roommate. Now, where was I?"

"Australia."

"You and your movie quotes. What's a woman to do around here?"

"Thank me for editing the pictures. Look." Alya turned her laptop around.

Marinette whistled. "How much did you even do to that?"

"Honestly, not much. Added a few identity-concealing shadows to your face, some color correction. A filter, obviously. Good enough to post tonight?"

"Yes, definitely. We'll post the whole batch over the next few days." Marinette turned back to her machine and fiddled with the bobbin, frowning at it the entire time.

"What are we calling it, again? Midnight Mystѐre?"

"Or something like it. I don't know, I'm only the secret designer-slash-model for it. You're my PR expert." Marinette started on a seam, frowning more when the thread wouldn't catch properly.

"Alright, Madame Designer, your newest design is going live in five, four, three, two, one...and it's still uploading."

Marinette daydreamed aloud while she re-threaded the machine. "If only I could start a fashion empire from it. Wouldn't that make for a cool story, am I right?"

"What would be cool is if this thing would _upload_. Goodness!" Alya stared at the screen, willing it to work. "It's probably because it's Monday. It always hates me on Mondays."

"It hates everybody on Mondays. And apparently so does this thing." Marinette gave the side of the sewing machine a gentle whack. "What's your problem today, anyway?"

"Well, while we're waiting for those to work, let's have ice cream." Alya set her laptop aside and hurried to the kitchen to get the bowls and ice cream out.

Marinette protested a couple of minutes later when she processed what Alya had said. "Alya, we had ice cream last night. We need something healthier."

"Hey, it's dairy. It's healthy."

"We're gonna die of kidney stones by the time we're thirty. Thank you." Marinette accepted the bowl Alya handed to her, staring at her machine. "I think I need it serviced, which means no orders for a week or however long, which means no money unless I spend way too much time at the bakery."

"I worked overtime last week. Won't be a big deal. Just pay me back another time." Alya stirred her ice cream until it became soupy, smiling when it was the right consistency.

"If you say so. Oh, it must've uploaded. I have some likes." Marinette closed the notification and spooned her ice cream into her mouth with a smile.

Alya scrolled through her own phone to find the post. " _Some_? Wait, have I _not_ been paying attention to your follower count lately?"

"I guess not."

"I'm a terrible PR person. Congrats, by the way. Looks like you're in the lead over Chat Noir for followers now."

"Oh, am I?" Marinette grinned; she already knew that and was proud of it. "Like, sure, he's attractive, damn good looking, and someone I wouldn't mind having a hotel room with if he was cool with it, but let it be known that my designs are infinitely better and I will stay on top. Unless he wants to collaborate; that would also be acceptable."

"You could reach out to him. He might enjoy that."

Marinette got a funny look on her face.

"You already reached out to him and he wants to know who his rival is."

"He didn't use the word _rival_ , per say, more like...true love. But I think he was just teasing because we're both so popular and might as well do things together occasionally." She shrugged a shoulder. "But if I can get Adrien's number, then I'll have him on my side, too."

"Yeah, and then you could know _two_ hot blonds."

"Hey, Adrien is an exceedingly kind and sweet person. I'm sure Chat Noir is the same way. I mean, it doesn't hurt that they're both very attractive and might be interested in me. I mean, not that Adrien actually is, but whatever."

Alya stared at her and gasped, pointing an accusatory finger. "You like them both!"

"Shut up! I may have no chance with Chat Noir, but I might if I play my cards right with Adrien. Imagine it: discounts on fabric for as long as he works there." She sighed happily, putting her bowl down. "That's the dream."

"Easy there, tiger. Guess who just sent you a message."

"Oh gosh, what's it say?" Marinette picked her phone up to check it while Alya was reading it aloud.

"It says, 'Hey, lady. Lookin' good tonight. I'd like to offer a round of ap-paws.' He literally typed that. What do you see in him?"

"Hey, he's super nice. Let him be." She finished out her message and sent it, giggling.

"'I'm glad you didn't use an insect pun because those really bug me' with a winky face? Marinette, I'm ashamed of you." Alya shook her head. "Alright, I'm editing those photos and letting you two dorks do your thing. I can't believe you're practically internet famous."

"Well, you should. Guess who just gave me his number!"

"Shut up. No way!"

Marinette snickered. "He wants a selfie to prove it's me. Well, he's getting one." Marinette took a picture of her eye and sent it off, laughing when he sent a picture of his chest back. "Yep, it's him. Look at this." She turned her phone around. "Tonight is an excellent night, darling Alya. Today, Chat Noir. Tomorrow, Adrien. The day after that, the entire fashion industry!"

"In due time, Marinette. In due time."

* * *

 _A/N: I'm blown away by all the positive feedback this is getting! It's already one of my more popular stories, and I'm thrilled that everybody's enjoying it. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!_

 _xoxo -wwot_


	3. Quit Spooling Around

Adrien tugged his shirt back on after sending the owner of the _ladycoccinellebug_ instagram account his shirtless selfie. Was Marinette also cute and far more realistic to go for? Absolutely, but that didn't mean a guy couldn't dream.

She sent him a picture of her collarbone with the caption, "I have a bone to pick with you." Adrien nearly fell out of his bed laughing.

Nino peered in. "You okay in there? Breathing?"

Adrien gave a thumbs up with a grin. "Ladybug loves puns. Also, I got her number."

"Dude, no way! Let me see!" Nino hurried over and snatched Adrien's phone from him. "You actually got her number. Holy shit."

"That I did. That I did. I, Adrien Agreste, got a girl's number thanks to my _model_ behavior."

"Ugh, you two are perfect for each other." Nino tossed his phone back and flopped onto his bed beside him. "So, you wanna tell me about Marinette?"

Adrien looked over at him. "What's there to tell? She's cute, I would like her number as well, and I would also like to go out on a date with her." He shrugged. "At least now we know that I truly do have a type."

"For as much as you wanted to get away from the fashion industry, you sure end up interested in it anyway. What is it with you and aspiring designers?"

Adrien blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not just that. They also look alike. They both have blue eyes and dark hair. So did Tiffany. And so did Alexis—"

"Alexis was a bitch. She was just using you." Nino poked Adrien's side. "Despite that, she was cute. You know, in a heartless kinda way."

Adrien shoved Nino aside. "In my defense, that's not exactly something you advertise to someone on a first date."

"What about the tenth?"

"Just shut up, Nino. Help me think of something clever to say to her." Adrien plucked his phone from the bed and stretched out, squishing Nino in the process. "What say you, most comfortable of pillows?"

Nino wriggled out from under him. "What the hell, man?"

"No, no. I can't say that to her. I'm trying to _impress_ her."

"Don't be a dumbass, Adrien. Just make up a pun. You're good at those."

"'I'm _sew_ glad you brought it up.' Yes, that." Adrien typed that and sent it. "At least she also likes puns. Do you think Marinette likes puns?"

"One lady at a time, my dude. Marinette sounds like she might like puns, but there's no way to know for sure. You know, I knew a Marinette way back in school. She also wanted to be a fashion designer. Super shy but very sweet. Wouldn't it be funny if it was the same Marinette?"

"Interesting, sure." Adrien snickered at Ladybug's response and sent his own back again, barely paying attention to Nino.

"It's gonna be like this for the next few weeks, isn't it?"

"What, huh?"

Nino popped his back, which made Adrien cringe. "From the sounds of it, you're lovestruck by two amazing women. It's gonna be an interesting couple of weeks is all."

"I am not _lovestruck_. Smitten, sure, but not lovestruck." Adrien scoffed. "Lovestruck."

"Lovestruck. Noun. From _love_ and _struck_ —"

"Can it, Lahiffe."

"You know, sometimes I wonder how you've become a successful model twice over." Nino pushed him over, laughing as Adrien scrambled for his phone.

"It's all in the hip bones. Oh, and actually being attractive."

Nino pulled his shirt up and his waistband down a couple of inches to inspect himself. "Well, I have hip bones, and I'm a solid six. When will I get to be a secret internet model?"

"That's wrong and you know it. You're a solid eight-point-five, closer to a nine-point-two. And you can be a secret internet model any time you like. Now _hush_ because I'm trying to ask a girl on a date." Adrien typed quickly and sent the message.

Nino read over Adrien's shoulder. "'I don't know if you like fruit, but would you like to have a date with me?' What the hell, man?"

"Hey, it's clever. In English. A little less so in French, but who actually cares about that?"

"Apparently not Ladybug. Look."

Adrien glanced down and grinned, pumping his fist in the air. "Yes! Haha, I have a date! Is almost two weeks too far from today?"

Nino yawned. "I don't think so. It should probably be fine. The last time I had a date was two years ago and you're asking _me_? You must be desperate. Why don't you ask Michel?"

"Michel only dates men. You're my only friend who dates women also. Gotta say, your last boyfriend was cute, though. It's a shame he hates electronic music and has a strange affinity for puns." Adrien smirked at Nino.

"My last boyfriend was _you_ , Adrien. And then you realized that you really are straight. I'm sure your father was pleased about that."

"Hey, it's not my fault. It's not like I'm straight to make him happy. Besides, I already called you attractive tonight, didn't I?" Adrien frowned, phone momentarily forgotten in his hand.

"Relax, I'm just messing. And yeah, you did. Wait, my last date was with _you_ and you're asking _me_ about dating advice? There's something a little bit messed up about that."

"Well, maybe. You know what, let's just forget about how that relationship ended and focus on the good things that have happened because of it. Namely, living together."

"How many people do you know break up and then move in together? There's gotta be something to that. True love or something. And hey, you should respond to Ladybug."

Adrien glanced down at his now-dark phone screen. "Whatever. Crap, I need the date for that Friday." He looked it up and whispered it to himself a few times while he sent it. "Alright. I have a date with Ladybug! I'll have to get Marinette's number the next time she's in the store; hopefully she doesn't think that's creepy."

"I think as long as you're less creepy than Edward Cullen, you'll be fine."

"Come on, give me something difficult to live for. I need excitement in my life. Oh, by the way, Michel asked me to work tomorrow, so I have to cancel our weekly brunch."

"Come on, man. I live for weekly brunch. When's your new day off?"

"Friday. Hence why I have to cancel, unless you can get the day off."

"Probably not. Oh well. At least we'll see each other every night." Nino clapped Adrien on the shoulder and stood up, stretching. "I'm gonna head to bed. Want me to turn a cold shower on for you, or should I just close your door?"

"Wait, why would I—ugh, Nino!"

* * *

 _A/N: As far as I know, that instagram account doesn't exist. Although it probably should. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I liked writing this side of the brot4 quite a lot! I can't remember if anyone in my writing squad (Leisey and livinglittlelie) has published anything lately, but you should check them out anyway!_

 _Also, Off the Hook is still in progress, but it'll be worth it when the next chapter is published. I promise. And be sure to take a look at Fighting Within! It's a little more serious than what I usually write, but it's something I'm pretty proud of.  
_

 _xoxo -wwot_


	4. What Seams to Be the Problem?

Marinette took her sewing machine into the repair shop with a grin on her face. She might have stuttered around Adrien, but at least she could get a date with Chat Noir (even if it was because she was behind screens and not in front of him). And that boy could pun! Marinette found herself giggling the whole night, only going to bed when he quit texting her at a bright four in the morning.

"Sweet Marinette! How are you today?"

"I'm doing wonderfully, Jules! I have a date in two weeks."

"Oh? Who's the lucky guy?"

"I-it's a secret. But I'll definitely let you know how it goes!"

Jules smiled. "Wonderful. What seems to be the problem with your machine?" He nodded to it, helping her hoist it to the counter.

"I'm not sure. It just quit working last night. I tried rethreading it, reloading the bobbin, adjusting the tension...in short, I tried everything, and it's not working properly. It needs help. Please help it."

Jules took it out of the carrying case and looked over everything quickly. "I don't see anything right off the bat, but that means nothing. I'll take a look at it. When do you need it by?"

"Tomorrow would be great, but I understand if you can't. You're probably super busy. But, um, next week at the latest? I can't afford to leave it longer than that."

"I don't know about tomorrow, but two days is doable if it doesn't need parts. How does that sound?" Jules put it back into its case, snapping it shut.

"That's wonderful. Thank you, Jules. You're a lifesaver." Marinette kissed his cheek. "How much will it be?"

"Free, but only if you bring me a dozen chocolate scones when you pick it up."

"Done. I think I know a good place to pick them up, too." Marinette winked and made a note on her phone to do that. "Call me when you find out whatever's wrong and stuff."

"I always do. Ciao!"

"Ciao!" Marinette waved and walked out, yawning despite her mood. She got out her phone to call Alya.

"Hey, babe. What's wrong with it?"

Marinette started walking while she talked. "Jules doesn't know yet, but he can have it to me in two days if it doesn't need parts. Good news is that I have to pay for it in scones, though. But that's not exactly why I called...uh, the fabric store isn't that far from here. I was gonna go in and ask Adrien for his number. I just needed a pep talk."

"Why? You totally got this! He'd be lucky to have you ask for his number. Hell, he should be _offering_ it to you. But seriously, he already thinks you're attractive. He said as much yesterday. Just go in, get a meter of something, and ask him for it. The worst he could say is no, right?"

Marinette paused in front of the door. "I mean, that's true. You're right. Thanks, girl. Alright, I'm just gonna go for it."

"Good luck! Love you!"

"Love you too. Peace." Marinette hung up and took a deep breath before she went into the store, a smile planted firmly on her face. She was going to rock this.

There was nobody at the counter. _Ah, well. They're probably helping people on the floor._

Marinette wandered over to the laces, keeping an eye out for Adrien or Michel all the while. She inspected some red lace because of its shimmer. She just might have to get more than a meter of it—

Laughter turned her head. Adrien was laughing with Michel about something, so she called out to them when they calmed down.

"Adrien! Michel!" She picked up the bolt and made her way to the counter.

"Marinette, darling! I didn't expect to see you back so soon." Michel smiled at her with a knowing look; he certainly _had_ expected to see her so soon.

"Well, you know me! Always forgetting something I need!" She laughed, inwardly cringing at the high tone.

Adrien took the fabric from her.

Her face flamed when his fingers brushed hers—and the bandage from her mishap.

"What happened here?" Adrien turned her hand over to look at it better.

"S-s-sewing accident. Scissors can be sharp!"

Adrien kissed her hand and gently dropped it. "Well, you should be more careful. How much do you need?"

"H-how much is on the whole thing?" _You're a walking catastrophe. Ha,_ cat-astrophe _. I'll have to tell that one to Chat._

"We have full bolts with ten meters each in the back. Want me to get you one?"

"That would be awesome! Thank you!"

Adrien smiled and hurried back there.

Michel leaned over the counter and whispered to Marinette, "You should snatch that boy up quick. He's quite the catch."

"I'm trying, Michel! I can't keep my head on straight when I'm talking to him, though. Help me out!"

"I'm doing my best, love. And here he comes with the lace!" Michel gestured widely with his arms.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted just the red, so I also brought some blue out. I don't think we have it on the floor." He laid it on the counter beside her, leaning on his elbow close enough for her to reach out and touch him.

Her face flamed. "Gosh that's a pretty face. I-I mean fabric! Pretty fabric. Nice blue color. Very, um, nicely pretty."

"I thought you'd like it. Blue is my favorite color, after all." Adrien winked at her and moved back around the counter to write the ticket up.

"So, um, how much will you charge me for them?" _Keep going like that, Marinette. Nicely done._

Adrien looked to Michel for an answer.

Michel cleared his throat. "If you want them both, I'll give it to you for a third off."

Marinette nodded. "Deal. Thank you. I'm not sure what I'm doing with them yet, of course, but it'll be good to have them! Alya's gonna kill me."

Adrien typed a few things in the calculator. "Alya?"

"Oh, my best friend and roommate. She helped patch me up last night. I'm not sure what I'd do without her, honestly." _Wonderful. Full sentences. I deserve a trophy for this._

"That was nice of her. I'll have to thank her for patching up such a cute lady." Adrien winked again and totaled her receipt up.

Marinette fumbled for her card, ignoring Michel's obviously-trying-not-to-laugh face.

"H-here you go."

Adrien ran the card and handed it back to her. "So, do you have any plans this weekend?"

"N-not this weekend, no. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if mayb—"

"Adrien! Dude! I got the booking!" Nino ran through the aisles and let himself behind the counter, oblivious to the conversation Adrien was trying to have.

"Hey, that's great, man! I'm happy for you." Adrien hugged him quickly. "Nino, this is Marinette." He shot Nino a peeved look for interrupting him.

Nino turned to her. "Marinette! It's been forever!"

"Yeah, it has been! How's your mom doing? She was always fun to be around." Marinette smiled at him.

"She's doing a lot better. You knew she'd gotten breast cancer, right?"

"Yeah, I'd heard that through the grapevine. I think Nathaniel told me, if I remember right. It's been a few years. But I'm glad to know she's doing better!" Marinette reached for her fabric, balancing it in her arms. "It was good to see you, Nino. Tell her I said hello. Michel, Adrien, i-it was fun, as always! I'll see you next time." She didn't give them a chance to respond as she made a quick escape, tears stinging her eyes.

 _So much for getting Adrien's number today._

* * *

 _A/N: Girl you already have his number (That's supposed to be a strikethru but this editor is kinda crappy tbh)  
_

 _Also, I've been dealing with some things in my personal life lately that have been both excellent (I went on a date!) and kind of scary (I started therapy), not to mention that I work and go to church and do Bible study and my **gosh** I didn't realize how long that list was getting until just now BUT ANYWAY I just wanted to thank you people for sticking with me. It means the world to me.  
_

 _Also, I'll be updating Off the Hook on its one year anniversary (July 2!), so be looking forward to that!_

 _Feel free to let me know what you thought of this chapter!_

 _xoxo -wwot  
_


	5. Knot Kidding

Adrien glared at Nino as soon as Marinette was out of sight. "You nimrod! I was trying to get her number until _you_ showed up!" Adrien poked him in the chest.

Nino rubbed the spot in fake hurt. "Sorry. But she'll be back in again, dude. It's not like it's the end of the world. Besides, you got that date with—"

"Nino Marc Lahiffe, if you finish that sentence, you are a dead man. I do not need your help to make rent every month."

Michel cocked an eyebrow. "A date? With whom?"

His voice jumped up an octave. "A-a girl! That I met online!" Adrien shot Nino his most forceful _I will kill you later_ look, which only made Nino grin.

"And when were you going to tell me?" Michel nudged Adrien with his elbow. "She must be pretty special to have caught your eye. Or have blue eyes."

Adrien threw his hands in the air. "Does everybody know I have a type? Goodness."

Nino snickered. "You're too easy, honestly. But I really am sorry that I interrupted. I'll make it up to you and buy brunch for the both of us next week."

"I'm gonna hold you to that. I expect nothing less. Now, did you drive here? Are you taking me home? I don't get off work for another two hours. Right?" He checked his watch. "Yeah, two hours."

Michel glanced around the empty store. "You can go if you want. We're pretty dead around here."

"Are you sure? You know that Liz is usually late."

Michel shrugged a shoulder. "It's her paycheck, not mine."

"You did all that without confirmation that I drove here instead of taking the metro."

Adrien shot another glare at Nino.

"Yes! I drove! Chill out!"

"Good. In that case, I'm gonna head out, Michel."

The phone started ringing.

"Right after I get that. _Bonjour_ , Helena's Fabrics."

Silence.

"Hello?"

"We are trying to reach the business owner or accounts payable. My name is Martin, and you can reach me at fifty-five fifty-two thirty-six twenty-four. Please give us a call back. Thank you."

Adrien stared at the phone for a moment before hanging up. "Telemarketer. He thought I was the answering machine, so I didn't correct him."

Nino and Michel stared at Adrien before bursting into laughter.

"Dude, you're the best!" Nino clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's get you out of here before you start asking for funeral fund donations again."

"That was _one time_!"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and get in the car. Good to see you, Michel!" Nino waved and smiled.

"Good to see you, Nino! Take care of him for me, please."

"Of course. He'll come back to you in one piece. Pinky promise." He extended his pinky finger, curling it around Michel's when he returned the gesture.

"Get a room, you two." Adrien started to leave them behind when he was stopped by a customer.

"Excuse me, where can I find your purple broadcloth?"

"It's actually going to be right in front of you, right there." He gestured to the spot directly beside her stomach.

The lady turned around to a section of yellow prints. "I don't see it."

"Um, turn around again."

She turned back around. "Oh!" she laughed. "Thank you!"

"No problem." Adrien turned his head to Michel and Nino, giving them an incredulous look.

They just laughed as quietly as they could.

Adrien flipped them off when he was sure the customer wasn't watching and walked out to wait by his and Nino's shared car.

Nino joined him a minute later, tossing him the keys. "Sorry you work retail, bro."

"Hey, it pays the bills."

"Um, I don't think it does. I'm pretty sure that's the occasional modeling job you still do on the side. Oh, and your Instagram empire."

Adrien shrugged. "Probably true. Speaking of, I have a shoot for that tonight. Care to join me?"

"If it's to watch you get glittered up again, absolutely. Count me in."

Adrien sighed. "Yes, there's glitter involved. It took me a week to get it all off last time."

Nino laughed. "It totally did. It took even longer to get it out of the shower, too."

"Yeah, we can forget about that until tonight. Let's go get some coffee."

* * *

Adrien gave a great sigh. "Glitter sucks, Nino."

Nino switched the song that was playing. "Yep. You volunteered for it, though."

"Dammit."

Nino snapped a picture of him. "Look how dramatic you look."

Adrien was draped across his chair, shirtless and barefoot with a slight pout on his face. His pants were black, shimmering with the glitter that had fallen from his chest and face. He wore a mask for this shoot, also black. He didn't know what magic his hairdresser had done to attach cat ears to the top of his head, but damn if it didn't look good. The lighting was nearly perfect, giving a striking contrast between his skin and the dark background.

"Dude, can I use this one?"

"Sure. Still want to do the rest of the shoot?"

"I mean, I'm here." Adrien hopped up, running into something immediately. "What the hell? I shouldn't need two pieces of plastic to make sure I don't mistake a small child for a fire hydrant!"

Nino laughed and offered his arm. "Come on, O blind one."

"Shut up. You're more blind than I am."

"Yes, but I'm wearing glasses, and you are not. Why don't you get contacts?"

"They can alter your eye color slightly, and why mess with perfection?" Adrien threw a wink at Nino, promptly bumping into a pole. "Hey, you were supposed to be watching!"

"Don't worry. It won't leave a mark. Now go and look sexy, make millions swoon with your bare, sparkling chest." Nino helped settle him in a throne of ropes that were all tied and woven together.

"You're lucky I like having you around as a video game partner. Just remember that next time you say stupid shit like that."

"Wow, you sound serious."

A smile tugged at the corner of Adrien's mouth as he tapped the ropes he was sitting in. "You should know by now that I'm _knot_ kidding."

* * *

 _A/N: I'm knot even remotely sorry for that tbh. As always, feedback is appreciated! And be sure to check out Fighting Within (I just updated that one a short while ago, too!)._

 _love you_

 _xoxo -wwot_


	6. 99 Problems but a Stitch Ain't One

Marinette woke up early but stayed snuggled in bed. _It's not like I have any projects I can work on without my sewing machine. Well, I guess I could cut stuff out. But whatever._

Chat had been strangely silent the night before, and she realized that he probably had a shoot he hadn't mentioned. _All's fair in love in war, I guess._

She threw an arm over her face, yawning. Getting up was such hard work, especially when—

Her phone _pinged_ , and she scrambled to check it. "Chat! Haha!"

He sent her the picture Nino had taken the night before. ' _My friend took this last night. Thought you'd like an exclusive first look~'_

Marinette hurried her reply. ' _You look amazing! I wish I could get glitter to look that good on me'_

' _Oh, it'll look good on me for the next 4653126785632 years. I swear it's the real STI of the modeling world'_

She burst into laughter. ' _I totally understand. We still have some in our carpet from something I did last spring.'_

' _I'm sure I'll be finding glitter in my sheets for months to come. It makes dates kinda awkward. "Oh, can we go to your place? I don't want you getting a UTI because of all the damn GLITTER I CAN'T GET RID OF"'_

' _I'm pretty sure I'm immune to it at this point, if that's what you're suggesting ;)'_

Marinette put her phone aside and took a deep breath, whispering to herself, "I am a strong, confident woman. Any guy would be lucky to have me and to get me to offer to go to bed with him, even if I am faced with rejection. I am a strong, confident woman. Anyone who—oh!" She read his message as soon as it came in, convinced that it didn't ruin her air of confidence.

' _Oh, that's not all I'm suggesting ;)'_

Marinette burst into Alya's room even though she was still asleep. "Alya! Chat Noir just! And! And he!"

Alya rubbed her eyes and sat up halfway. "Huh?"

Marinette shoved her phone in Alya's face. "See?"

Alya rubbed her eyes again, squinting at the screen. "That's nice, dear. Go back to sleep." She handed the phone back, falling over to sleep immediately.

Marinette skipped to the kitchen, too excited to even think of going back to sleep.

' _Oh, it's not? What else are you suggesting?'_

She poured herself some cereal with almond milk and pulled up her laptop, crunching away as she scrolled through Instagram. Her eyes went automatically to her phone as Chat's message came in.

' _You know, I had a whole message typed out, but I thought it might be better to surprise you~'_

Marinette blushed. "Wow, he's smooth. Like, he's still a total dork, but he can really turn it on if he wants to." She typed her message and sent it. ' _In that case, I can hardly wait to be surprised~'_

' _Anything for you, my Lady'_

* * *

Marinette had the fabric all laid out and sighed. She was half a meter too short for this pattern no matter how she arranged the pieces.

 _How could I have missed that? I've been doing this for years!_

She sighed and sat back on her heels, checking her phone for the time. She had just enough time to run to the fabric store and get what she needed if she could figure out the best way to arrange the pieces to get as little extra as possible.

"Screw it. I'll just get as much as I could need." She grabbed her keys and hurried to the store, thankful that they were still open by the time she got there. "Hi Michel, sorry. I know you're closing in like, ten minutes, but I needed something while my machine's getting repaired. I'll be quick."

"I'm not Michel, but that's good to know." Adrien stuck his head up from behind the counter. "Can I help you find it?"

"A-Adrien! Haha, hi!" _Pull yourself together, Marinette. You're embarrassing me._ "No, I can find it. Thanks, though!" She scurried off, fighting the blush creeping up her neck. _My goodness, you're such a mess._

When she found the desired fabric, she brought it up to the counter. "I need three meters, apparently. I was short earlier and it was a disaster and I'll shut up now. You have to listen to things you don't care about all day. I'm sorry."

Adrien shrugged. "I don't mind it coming from some people, you know. You're not as bad as you think." He wrestled with the scissors. "What in the hell? What's wrong with these?"

"Have you sharpened them lately?"

"Someone else was supposed to, but I'm beginning to think that they didn't." He threw them aside and picked up another pair that worked better. "There we go."

"Oh, have you tried spring-loaded scissors?"

"No? Why, are they good?"

Marinette grinned. "They're amazing, honestly. Highly recommend them. It's mostly all I use."

Adrien smoothed out the last folds on the fabric. "Huh. I'll have to try them sometime. They sound delightful."

"They really are. So worth the money, too. Oh, you have something right, uh..." She pointed to his nose. "It looks like glitter."

He made a noise of disgust. "It gets everywhere." He rubbed his nose. "Did I get it?"

"Um, no. Here." She licked her finger and rubbed it off his nose for him. "There." Marinette's face turned red. "Um, here's my card." She handed it to him, internally screaming at herself.

His face was just as red. "Do you even care how much it is?"

"I mean, yes, but you don't have to tell me."

Adrien shrugged a shoulder. "Very well, then." He gave her the receipt to sign and bagged the fabric for her. "So, uh, one more question."

She finished her signature with a flourish and handed him the pen and the receipt. "Oh, yeah?"

"Well, I was wondering, if, uh—"

A loud crash sounded from across the store, followed by swearing from an adult and screaming from a child.

Adrien ran over on instinct, Marinette following him.

"Oh my."

It looked as though the child had knocked the shelf over and gotten hit with some fabric in the process.

Adrien cleared his throat. "What happened?"

The woman screamed in English. "Your faulty shelving fell on my child!"

Adrien heaved a great sigh, switching languages. "Ma'am, that's not the case. I can barely move that particular shelf without help when it's full, and I'm a grown person."

"So it must be faulty!"

Marinette watched with wide eyes.

He rubbed his forehead. "Ma'am, your kid is what, seven, eight? Do you like to climb, kiddo?"

The boy nodded, getting over his tears.

"Don't answer that!"

"Ma'am, we do record what happens in here, and we will hold you responsible for any damages if you don't leave immediately."

The woman stared at him for a long second and grabbed her son by the hand, storming out of the store.

Adrien sighed again. "Looks like I gotta clean this up."

Marinette coughed, switching back to French. "Want some help?"

Adrien looked back at her as though he'd forgotten she was there. "Um, no. But I appreciate the offer. See you next time, Marinette."

She frowned. "Okay. See you, Adrien." She picked up her fabric and left the store, only realizing when she got home that he had never finished asking his question.

* * *

 _A/N: We had a lady yell at us yesterday for...you know what, I'm gonna write it into the fic. It's strangely theraputic! But anyway, the summary version is that retail is awful—and I'd rather eat my own appendix than deal with people sometimes._

 _As for me, I'm having a slightly better week than I was last week. I have some good news that I'm not sure if I should be sharing yet, so I'll hold off until a later date._

 _I love you all; thank you so much for your support. Feel free to leave your thoughts down below!_

 _xoxo -wwot_


	7. You Rip What You Sew

Adrien laid back on the floor after correcting the fiasco that had occurred literally at closing time. The worst part of it? He'd been too distracted to properly get Marinette's number _for the second day in a row_.

He jumped when his phone rang, interrupting his internal griping. "Yeah?"

Nino's voice came through the line. "Dude, where are you?"

"Still at work. Some kid knocked over a whole shelf of fabric, and then the mom practically threatened to sue _us_ because _he_ was climbing on it! Freaking Americans." Adrien picked himself up and started shutting off lights.

"Do you want me to come pick you up?"

"Please do. I don't want to be in the Forsaken Land of Fabric any longer than I have to today." He yawned. "Shit, I still have to do the registers and take out the trash. And hold on, someone is knocking on the door." Adrien turned his phone away from his face and unlocked the door, barely peeking his head out. "Can I help you?"

"Are you open?"

Adrien looked back at the store with the lights half off and contained his frustration. "Sir, we closed two hours ago."

"But you're still here! I just need one quick thing!"

"Sir, with all due respect, I just want to go home. We are closed. We will open tomorrow at seven. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?"

"Well, I never! That's absurd! I'm a paying customer!"

"And we're grateful for your business, sir, but we are closed. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue closing the store." Adrien pulled the door shut, ignoring the man's yelling. He locked it and walked away, holding his phone to his ear again. "Sorry about that, Nino."

"Did he not read the sign that's literally on the door he was knocking on?"

"Nino, that would require paying attention and not being selfish. Wow, when did I become so cynical?" Adrien put Nino on speaker and closed out the cash registers for the day.

"If I had to guess, it would have something to do with your father."

"Ugh, don't remind me of him. Hold on, counting money." Adrien mumbled to himself for a few seconds, sorting through the euros and facing them properly. "Okay, sorry. Anyway, don't remind me of my father."

"He's the reason you have relative success on Instagram, dude. Hey, watch it, dumbass! Sorry, nobody knows how to drive, either."

Adrien clipped the money together and left it in the safe. "See, we keep getting interrupted when we talk about him. That's a conversation for another day and another licensed therapist."

"I never actually got my license for that when I lived in the States, by the way."

"You mean I've been confiding in a non-professional all this time? Dr. Lahiffe! I should sue you for malpractice!" He tied the knot at the top of the trash bag and made a quick run out of the building to the dumpster. "What did you even do in the States?"

"I majored in drinking. Got addicted to watermelon schnapps. Damn, I could really go for some right now. We're stopping at the store on the way home. We're celebrating."

Adrien locked the door and turned the lights off, making his way to the front of the store. "What are we celebrating?"

"Does it matter?"

"You drink too much."

"Only on Wednesdays."

"And every other day of the week!" Adrien turned the rest of the lights off and slid out the front door, quickly locking it so he wouldn't have to deal with more stray customers. "How close are you?"

"Turn around, bright eyes."

Adrien turned around and saw Nino parked right there. He hung up and got in the passenger's side. "Hey."

"You hung up on me! I'm so offended!" Nino held a hand over his chest in mock hurt.

"Shut up and drive."

"Be nice to the driver. He's your best friend and the most attractive man you've ever dated." Nino pulled out from his spot and turned towards home.

Adrien snorted. "You're the only man I've ever dated." He rolled his window down and took a deep breath. "Ah, gotta love that polluted Parisian air."

"Hey, be nice to our fine city. It's the only place that has a full-sized Eiffel Tower." Nino signaled and switched lanes.

"It wasn't that long ago that we had that whole pollution scare, you know." Adrien hung one hand out of the window, moving his hand as if it were flying.

"We're fine! We lived through it!" Nino shook his head. "Why does everybody has to be so mean?"

"That one lady sued the city for it, though. Remember that?"

Nino readjusted his grip on the wheel. "I think so. What even happened with that?"

Adrien shrugged. "Don't know, honestly. Hey, weren't we buying alcohol?"

"Confession. I already bought some earlier. I even got your favorite."

"Nino, I could kiss you. Tonight, we drink!"

* * *

Sunlight filtered into their living room.

Adrien squinted against it, curled around a pillow on the floor. "Nino?"

A loud groan sounded from the couch.

"Exactly how much did we drink?"

Another groan.

"What time is it, anyway? I have to go to work today." He pushed himself up, holding his head. "Can you call my phone?"

Nino pointed to his phone on the table. "Do it yourself."

Adrien typed in the passcode on Nino's phone and called his own phone, eventually finding it under the couch. "Um, I texted Ladybug last night. There's a drunk selfie I took, another drunk selfie...Nino, these are practically sexts. Holy shit! Dude, look at these!"

"Too loud. Also, Adrien, I've seen you naked. This is literally nothing I haven't seen before. Wait, are those boxers new?"

"You got them for me, remember?"

"Obviously not." Nino buried his head in the couch cushion.

Adrien rubbed his forehead. "My head hurts, dude."

"Take some painkillers before you go to work."

"Work! Shit!"

Nino cringed. "Adrien! Too loud! Give _me_ some painkillers before you go to work."

Adrien squinted, fumbling around without his glasses and getting them water and pills. He put the appropriate things on the table and stood up, rubbing his forehead. "I'm taking the car to work." He gagged. "After I put my glasses on and go throw up, in some order."

Nino shot him a thumbs up. "You do that, bro. Good luck."

* * *

 _A/N: Hey folks, it's been a while..._

 _I haven't been doing so hot (still), which is why I've barely published anything (except for that birthday fic I posted a couple of weeks ago), and I'm basically very tired all the time. It's kind of terrible, honestly. And on this specific fic, while I had the chapter written, I got a review that said (and I quote) "Update love please" from a guest; it kind of irritated me because I've been so open about not doing well in almost all of my notes that it's like...no. I probably misread it and overreacted, but that was literally the same day that I texted my best friend and told him that I didn't see the point in living (he eventually sent me the number for the suicide prevention hotline). So, for someone to ask for an update when I wanted to die...yeah, pretty crappy timing. (Sorry if that was too personal or heavy or anything.)_

 _On that note, LazyWorkaholic on ao3 went through and left nice comments on everything this evening, so I figured it was time to end the silence on this one. I do enjoy writing and updating this one, and I especially love seeing your reactions. I don't know where this fic would be without you guys._

 _I love you all and please take care; the wait won't be so long next time._

 _xoxo -wwot_

 _ **If you or a loved one are suffering from suicidal thoughts, please call this number if you're in the States (other numbers are available through Google): 1-800-273-8255**_


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